Impact of COVID-19

Due to the limitations set by the COVID-19 pandemic, online business models have not only risen in relevance, they are now the only feasible option businesses have. If a business isn’t already online, it would be forced to adapt. This might be easy for some due to the multiple technological options at their fingertips, but for the unfortunate many, however, adapting isn’t so simple. For those without the resources or technology, COVID-19 has not just shut down their businesses, it also shut down their livelihood, their one and only way of putting food on the dinner table.

This is most evident when we look at Filipino farmers. Since the start of community quarantine, there has been a lot of food wastage because the farmers were unable to sell their produce. This is due to two main reasons: the lockdowns restricting travel and oversupply. 

Supply and Transportation

According to a farmer from the Mountain Province, there is no oversupply. Rather, buyers are unable to get to buying centers here because of checkpoints and various movement restrictions imposed. Also, many stores have reportedly closed due to the coronavirus (Rivas 2020). However, in February alone, 300 kilos of eggplants from Cabiao, Nueva Ecija were left to rot as prices took a dive due to the oversupply of vegetables (Panti, 2020). Both these problems stem from the lack of a distribution and transportation system. The distribution system from the farmer to the consumer should be improved to create an immense impact on the reduction of food losses (Mopera, 2016). Due to high logistics costs, rice and maize farmers prefer that traders deliver their products directly to consumers without resulting in excessive retail prices associated with transportation. In addition, transportation costs increase by 71% during rainy seasons. The lack of internal connectivity results in double handling, food wastage, and failure of product consolidation, leading to higher per unit transport and handling costs (World Bank, 2020). 

Weather and Agriculture

A 2009 survey by the Canada-based International Development Research Centre (IDRC) showed that all regions in the Philippines are vulnerable to extreme weather events, some of which are linked to climate change. The Global Climate Risk Index (CRI) of German Watch ranked the Philippines among the countries that experienced the greatest loss from weather disturbances in 2011. From this, we can infer that agricultural countries are significantly affected by weather conditions, because its crucial sector – the farmers – are considerably vulnerable to weather events. Simply put, the decline of agricultural productivity due to circumstances faced by farmers such as weather conditions results in recessive implications on the economic state of the country.

How we came up with the solution

From this, there are two problems we set out to solve. First is the inaccessibility of information to farmers and second is the lack of a delivery system that is simple, effective, and accessible.

For the first problem, we used NASA data that is vital to successful agriculture. Taking into account that most farmers lack an internet connection, we thought about making this entire interface SMS based. This way, farmers are able to access all the necessary information even if they are only using analog phones.

For the second problem, we looked into an online shopping business model. We looked into applications such as Lazada and Shopee and analyzed why they are able to work so well in the current situation. Another application we looked into was Amazon. Specifically, Amazon Fresh. We set out to create an online shopping experience similar to Amazon Fresh but simpler and more accessible to farmers.

Through the space agency data provided, regular updates regarding the temperature, humidity, cloud cover, and average rainfall would be given upon access to a hotline. Furthermore, if the user enters the corresponding commands, the system will also provide information that involves monsoon warnings, and area information. With this information, the database will convert it into usable data that would help the farmers maximize their farming yield based on the given data of the area. 

The temperature would help with the control of the irrigation flow or help farmers prevent their crops from freezing in cold temperatures by implementing precautionary measures. 

The vegetation would help to predict what crops will grow best given the circumstances and if the area would be good for farming and the steps that they could in order to make it a fertile soil.

Video Demonstration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8PvahER3r0

HANAP-BUHAY solves two main problems. First is the farmers’ lack of vital information and second is the lack of an effective method for marketing, selling, and delivering their produce to consumers.

As a solution to the first problem, HANAP-BUHAY will serve as an all-in-one guide to traditional farming. The app will provide the user with information that would be essential for maximizing harvest. The app will compile the next [ten] days’ weather data as well as economic data. The app will then interpret the data and send this data to the user along with recommendations. Taking into account that most local farmers do not have access to the internet, this entire system will be done through SMS.

As a solution to the second problem, HANAP-BUHAY will use an online shop that allows the farmers to display their produce for everyone to see. The user UI will feature a browsing system that allows buyers to choose depending on the prices, harvest times, and seller ratings. For deliveries, farms in close proximity will be assigned a driver. Orders will be scheduled on two fixed days per week and payment will be COD. 

Technical Resources:

MODIS: Weather Data

https://ladsweb.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/search/order/1/MODIS:Terra (currently being requested)

Wunderground: Temperature, Humidity, Rainfall https://www.wunderground.com/forecast/ph/manila

MODIS and VIIRS Vegetation Index: https://www.usgs.gov/core-science-systems/nli/landsat/landsat-enhanced-vegetation-index?qt-science_support_page_related_con=0#qt-science_support_page_related_con

GLOBE Visualization: Cloud Cover https://vis.globe.gov/GLOBE/

Floodmap: Altitude https://www.floodmap.net/elevation/CountryElevationMap/?ct=PH (2 images utilizing ImageJ for analysis)

Material Resources:

Conde M. For Philippine farmers reeling from disasters, lockdown is another pain point. Mongabay Environmental News. 2020 May 8 [accessed 2020 Oct 4].

https://news.mongabay.com/2020/05/for-philippine-farmers-reeling-from-disasters-lockdown-is-another-pain-point/

LLANESCA T. PANTI GMAN. DA vows to link vegetable farmers to big food markets amid wastage of produce due to oversupply. GMA News Online. 2020 Jun 12 [accessed 2020 Oct 4].

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/economy/742373/da-vows-to-link-vegetable-farmers-to-big-food-markets-amid-wastage-of-produce-due-to-oversupply/story/

Manila. Filipino farmers - a dying breed? The New Humanitarian. 2019 Sep 16 [accessed 2020 Oct 4]. https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/feature/2013/02/26/filipino-farmers-dying-breed

Rivas R. Farmers trash spoiled vegetables while poor go hungry. Rappler. 2020 Apr 6 [accessed 2020 Oct 4]. https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/farmers-trash-spoiled-vegetables-urban-poor-hungry-coronavirus-lockdown 

https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Transforming-Philippine-Agriculture-During-COVID-19-and-Beyond.pdf